INTERVIEW: JEFF COLE (THE RENDARIAN BACKLASH)
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interview conducting began 2/24/2003

The title of this film impressed me. Possibly more so than any other title ever. Okay, I couldn't picture a Star Wars movie with this title, but certainly a novel or comic book. It fit well. (And now I've got an idea for a spoof about post-production woes... The Rendering Backlash. But I digress.) The film weighs in at about half an hour, which is impressive as well.

Okay—basics. Name, age, location, favorite Star Wars movie.

Name: Jeff Cole. Age: 24. Location: El Paso, Texas. Favorite Star Wars movie: The Empire Strikes Back.

What makes people want to make fan films?

It’s all about the fantasy.

Why do you think there are far more Star Wars fan films made than other kinds?

A simple explanation: Lightsabers (coolest weapon ever)!

Hey, at least you're honest.

Honestly, I think that there isn’t nearly enough Star Wars to watch. There are only five movies right now! Fan films are a great way to fill the void. If it were like Star Trek (on TV just about every day), I don’t think there would be nearly as many.

What was the last really good fan film you watched?

Showdown on Coruscant. In my opinion, it had a great story. More importantly, it kept me entertained through the whole movie.

What was the last really good 'real' movie you saw?

The Hours. However, on a lighter note, I laughed my ass off watching Old School. I took it for what it was and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Maybe we need to have that mentality about fan films. We move on to discuss his favorites in the field:

Serious film: Duality. It had great production values from top to bottom. It had a great soundtrack (something often neglected in fan films) to go along with the great visuals. I know some knock it for lack of story. Personally, I thought it was a great short story and presented very well for only being seven minutes long.

Comedy film: Two-Ness. Gags and laughs galore! Who could forget the fart scene.

What do you foresee as the next big development in fan films?

Many talented amateurs are starting to collaborate their abilities...

I'm reading these words right after the release of the second part of the "Ryan/Dorkman" duel. Hmm.

What would you like to see in a fan film?

I would really like to see more crossovers. I was disappointed when The Ultimate Battle was canned. A Star Wars version of Swingers or Austin Powers would be cool too. ”Coruscant, baby, yeah!”

Moving on to questions about your film. That was one hell of a creative title. What inspired it?

The Rendarian Backlash name was chosen because it is a story about getting revenge against the crimes committed by the Empire. Many people and planets were hurt, killed or in the case of Alderaan, completely destroyed. We wanted tell a story of how far one small planet would go to avenge the deaths of its citizens.

The locations are wonderful. Where did you shoot?

Most of the filming was done on location at The University of Texas at El Paso. The ramp building, used in three separate scenes, was the fine arts building on campus. It was very unique and ended up being a nice backdrop. Even though we tried to film when class was out, we still seemed to draw a crowd everywhere we went. During one shoot, we had 30+ kids watching from the side.

What struck me most about The Rendarian Backlash is its relative lack of dialogue. A lot of the story was told visually. Was it a conscious decision to go this way? Was it always the plan to do this?

I had this idea in mind while I was writing the script. Since none of us had an ounce of acting experience, I felt many of the scenes could better be told through use of sound and visuals rather than a lot of bad dialogue. The sunset scene is a good example. The only sound is the music. Originally, the viewer would have heard Bon contemplating his decision with inner dialogue. Talk about cheesy! Personally, I think music conveyed the point of the scene much better.

Everyone out there taking notes?

Aside from Star Wars, are there any particular films you might cite as having influence on your work?

Gladiator and Braveheart are two of my major influences. They both told epic stories, had an awesome score and allowed the hero to die defending his cause.

The parallels between the end of the film and the story of Anakin becoming Darth Vader are hard not to notice. Was this originally going to be an Anakin-to-Vader story? If not, how do you interpret this connection?

That scene was directly influenced by my interpretation of the Anakin-to-Vader transformation. Before I began making fan films, I had this scene of Anakin Skywalker waking after a battle to find himself disfigured. After realizing that the emperor is the reason he is alive, Anakin pledges his loyalty. The scene comes to a close as the classic Vader helmet is placed on his head. Parts of this scene were translated (though not so great) into what became the final scene of The Rendarian Backlash.

All right. Thanks!

Keep your eyes peeled for more on Crimson Uprising, the sequel to The Rendarian Backlash, in production now!

And that's all she wrote.